NHL History

The New York Islanders and Anaheim Ducks are two teams near the bottom of the standings that have significantly picked up their play of late. While they may be playing like playoff teams at the moment, will they be able to make up for their first-half gaffes? 

The NHL changed a lot after the 2004-05 lockout. In addition to lower tolerance regarding penalties and the removal of the two-line pass rule, we also saw the introduction of the shootout at the end of overtime.

Dan Boyle broke his foot against Minnesota on November 10, but only the San Jose Sharks and Boyle's family knew that fact. In the month that followed, he had no goals, one assist and a minus-six rating in 12 games.

During that time, there were numerous calls for him to be traded, including from many of my colleagues here. He is washed up, he has lost a step, he is not good in his own end...

He was the NHL’s original Iron Man—a man of perfect attendance, whose offices were located in six Taj Mahals of indoor sports venues.

Long before the tentacles of corporate sponsorship wrapped themselves around the naming of stadiums and arenas, the NHL of Johnny Wilson was played in a half dozen barns, each wonderfully devoid of anything remotely corporate in name, though several were botanical.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a long and storied history filled with success, disappointment and a lot of irony.  This slide show attempts to capture some of the most memorable moments in Maple Leafs history that coincides both with on ice success and off ice drama and intrigue. 

Without further ado, lets see what moments are worth taking another look at. 

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The most celebrated goaltender in Detroit Red Wings history—indeed, maybe in NHL history—was a tormented man. It’s been said that you have to be a little off your rocker to want to throw yourself into the path of vulcanized rubber discs for a living. Terry Sawchuk may not have been crazy, but he wasn’t happy.

Every team has their best line, the go-to group of guys they put on the ice with the game on the line. Right now, there are some fantastic young lines that could someday emerge as the best in the history of their respective organizations.

But the deep histories of some teams will make that a tough task to accomplish.

Tonight at the Pacific Coliseum, the Vancouver Giants will honour several local sports heroes as part of their “Heroes of Hastings” tribute before the game. Among those heroes is an all-time Canucks fan favourite, Gino Odjick.

The spin-o-rama is one of the most exciting ways to score goals in hockey, and it's even more impressive when a player executes it perfectly in a real NHL game.

The move is hard to do perfect, but it is a valuable weapon if you can pull it off, especially in shootouts.

Let's look at some amazing spin-o-rama goals.

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The Detroit Red Wings had some pieces in place in the 1990s, but it wasn't til a few great acquisitions solidified their defense and bolstered their third and fourth forward lines.

The Red Wings were solid as a team; with the drafting of forwards Steve Yzerman and Sergei Federov, and defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom, they were well on their way to success.

But the Red Wings needed more than just those three individuals to win a Stanley Cup.

As the hockey season is rapidly approaching, what better way is there to spend your weekend than with a bowl of popcorn and some cinema classics about our favorite sport? 

This is not a list where you will see the Love Guru, Sudden Death or even the Cutting Edge (yuck).  This is a “must see” list of movies with action, drama and laughs centering on the greatest sport in the world.  Also, keep in mind this is a list and by no means are these movies ranked in any particular order.